Tonks' Cold
by Lupinfangirl
Summary: Tonks catches a bad cold and Remus takes care of her. Takes place in the beginning of OotP. Lots of fluff and TLC!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Nymphadora?"

Tonks awoke from her doze with a start, on hearing her name. She found herself lying on a couch at the Grimmauld Place library, with Remus Lupin standing over her. "That's strange," she thought. "I didn't realize how tired I was, and I slept like a baby last night."

"W-wotcher, Remus," she said with a huge yawn. "What time is it?"

"Time for dinner," Remus answered, smiling. "Molly made stew, and I figured you wouldn't want to miss it."

"Thanks, I'll be right there," said Tonks. She got up, but must have done so too quickly because her head spun and she would have fallen to the floor if Remus hadn't caught her in time.

"All right there, Nymphadora?" he asked, sounding concerned.

"Don't call me Nymphadora," Tonks grumbled, embarrassed. "I'm OK, just got dizzy for a minute there."

Truthfully, though, she was feeling worse every second. Her head pounded, her throat felt scratchy, and there was a sharp tickle in her nose. She knew that all those nights on guard duty, in addition to her job at the Ministry would lead to something like this.

"Go ahead, I'll catch up," she said to Remus.

"All right, see you in a bit." Remus gave her shoulder a small squeeze and left the room. He didn't look convinced, and Tonks knew she'd have to try extra hard to show him that she was fine. The last thing she wanted was for Remus to see her with a cold and be repulsed. Her clumsiness would already be repulsive enough.

The young Auror made her way down to the kitchen, where everyone—meaning half the Order of the Phoenix, plus the Weasley clan and Hermione—was already eating. "This is going to be difficult," Tonks thought, but she still managed to smile and greet everyone.

"Hello, dear," said Molly Weasley. "Can I get you some stew?"

"Sure, Molly, that would be great," the younger woman said, trying to sound enthusiastic. She took a seat between Remus and Hestia Jones, and a minute later, Molly handed her a bowl with savory-looking stew. It smelled delicious, but Tonks didn't feel much like eating. She sat, picking at her dinner and staring into space, which couldn't escape Molly's sharp eye for long.

"Tonks, dear, are you feeling all right?" she asked softly.

Tonks looked up warily. "Yes, I-I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"Are you sure, love? You're not eating, and you look a bit peaky. Maybe you'd like to take a nap?"

Tonks was about to tell Molly that she just took one, but the tickle in her nose suddenly returned and she sneezed forcefully into cupped hands, _"Ha-kshoo! Heh, heh, he-kshoo!"_

The sneezes brought some relief, but also hurt her throat and made her headache even worse. She blew her nose into a handkerchief that Hestia gave her, and looked up, dazed. Immediately, she felt Molly's hand on her forehead.

"You're running a fever!" the red-haired witch exclaimed. "I knew you've been working yourself too hard! That's it, off to bed with you. You need rest and some hot tea."

Tonks' face turned bright red as she took in the concerned stares of everyone at the table. She was mortified at being seen in such a state, but a small part of her was also glad at the chance to lie down on her cool sheets and rest her throbbing head on her pillow. So she said, "Yes, you're right, Molly. Good night, everyone," and headed upstairs. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Tonks slipped on her pajamas and got into bed. She thought she'd fall asleep immediately, but her cold clearly had other plans. The congestion made her head feel like it was about to explode, and she was shivering under her blankets, yet still felt hot from the fever. A knock sounded at the door.

"Come in," Tonks called hoarsely.

The door opened and to Tonks' surprise, Remus came in, carrying a tray that was laden with a box of tissues, a thermometer, a steaming cup, and other items. As soon as he looked at Tonks, his eyebrows knitted together in concern, and Tonks knew then that she must look awful. She closed her eyes, mortified.

"How are you feeling, Nymphadora?" he asked softly, putting the tray down on her bedside table.

"Don't call me—"the witch started to say, but her breath caught in her chest and she began to cough loudly and harshly. Lupin sat down on her bed and gently rubbed her back until the coughing fit subsided.

"Thanks," said Tonks, wiping her eyes, which had teared up from the effort. "What's with the tray, Healer Lupin?" she teased.

"You don't know Molly Weasley at all, do you?" Remus said with a slight smile. "She wanted to bring this up to you herself, but I offered to do it." Tonks looked at him in astonishment, and Remus turned away, as if he suddenly remembered something.

"Here, drink this," he said, handing her the cup. "It's tea with honey. Should soothe your throat a bit."

Tonks sipped gingerly at the hot tea, which felt nice to her sore throat. The tightness in her chest dissolved and her congestion eased up a little, causing her nose to run. She took a tissue from the box Remus brought in and blew her nose into it.

"How's that? Better?" Lupin inquired, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Lots. Thank you, Remus." Tonks smiled.

"Don't mention it," Remus said, grinning back. "Now, unfortunately, we're out of Pepper-Up, so we'll have to resort to Muggle treatments. All right with you?"

"My dad's Muggleborn, and he's always been against Pepper-Up when I was ill. Said it would make me—" She broke off, as she felt a sneeze building. Turning away from Remus, she sneezed twice into her sleeve, "_Hetshew! He-tscheh!_" She turned back, sniffling.

"Bless you," said Remus, handing her a tissue.

"Heh-hang on…" Tonks' nose still tickled, and after a few agonizing hitching breaths she pitched forward, sneezing into the tissue, "_Ha-kshew!_"

"Bless you!" Remus said sympathetically.

"Ugh, thanks," said Tonks. She blew her nose and gave a congested sigh. "I'm so sorry, Remus. Really wish you didn't have to see me like this."

"It's just a cold, Tonks" Remus said with a chuckle. "You're talking to the guy who practically lived at the hospital wing. Whatever was going around Hogwarts, I would always be the first one to catch it."

"Seriously?" Tonks knew that being a werewolf was no picnic, but she never even imagined it wreaked such havoc on the immune system.  
"Mm-hmm. I was really weak after the full moon, but I would still work hard because I didn't want to be worse than the other students." Remus smiled wistfully, as he recalled his days at Hogwarts. "Now you, Miss Tonks, need to take better care of yourself. Molly's right, you've been working too hard lately."

"I know, all those guard duty shifts have really done me in," Tonks sighed.

"You should have said something then. I would have taken some of those shifts," Remus said firmly. Tonks looked at him in disbelief.

"You would…do that for me?" she asked, deeply touched.

"Of course," Remus said, suddenly looking nervous. "Unless it's on a full moon night."

They both laughed. "You're a wonderful man, Remus," Tonks said, looking straight into his eyes. "I hope you know that."

Remus looked shocked, but pleased. "I'm just doing what anyone would do," he said awkwardly, and then after a moment: "Oh, I completely forgot to take your temperature!"

Tonks held back a laugh at how adorably awkward Remus was being. As he uncapped the thermometer and put it in her mouth, she couldn't help marveling at how great he was: funny, kind, clever, and really, really cute.

The annoying tickle in her nose distracted her from these pleasant thoughts, and as soon as Remus took out the thermometer to look at it, she grabbed another tissue from the box and sneezed wetly, "_Ha-kssh! Csssh!_"

"Bless you," Remus said, as he studied the thermometer. "You have a slight fever of 37.7."

"Could've been worse," Tonks replied.

"Yes, it could," Remus agreed. "Now, can I get you anything else? More tea? Or maybe you'd like something to eat."

"No, I think I'll take a nap," Tonks said with a yawn, which turned into a shiver. "Oh, could you get me another blanket? I'm a bit cold."

"Of course. I'll put a heating charm on this one." Remus tapped the blanket with his wand, and Tonks instantly felt as warm as though she were sitting by a blazing fire.

"Thanks, that's loads better! This cold is really messing with my head, or I would have thought of this myself."  
Remus laughed and got up from the bed. "All right, get some rest, Tonks. I'll be downstairs." He patted her shoulder affectionately, as Tonks smiled and thanked him, and left the room after turning off the light. The Auror turned on her side, still grinning, and soon fell into a deep sleep. 


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Enjoy and review! Hope this isn't too cheesy, but let me know if it is. =)** Chapter 3

As Remus made his way down to the kitchen for a cup of tea, he couldn't suppress a smile at what had just passed between him and Tonks. She called him a wonderful man…he couldn't believe that he would ever make such an impression on a woman, especially one as beautiful and vivacious as Tonks. It was just so incredible—

"Remus John Lupin, you are a bloody genius."

Remus snapped out of his reverie as he heard someone address him and turned his head to see Sirius sitting at the head of the long kitchen table, drinking a bottle of butterbeer. He was leaning back in his chair and grinning, as he used to do when he managed to get the attention of yet another girl at Hogwarts.

"Is that so?" Remus inquired, trying his best to keep his tone neutral. He took a mug out of the cupboard and tapped the teakettle with his wand to make it boil.

Sirius let out a bark-like laugh and took another swig of butterbeer. "More than you give yourself credit for, my dear Moony. I never thought I'd see the day when _you _would give me an idea for how to pick up girls."

Remus flushed a deep red and almost spilled hot water all over himself. "What are you talking about, Sirius?" he asked in exasperation, although he knew exactly what Sirius was getting at. He took a seat at the table and added sugar to his tea in an attempt to distract himself and keep his nerves at bay.

"Oh, come on, Moony. Stop pretending to be daft," Sirius said with a smirk. "I saw how you jumped at the opportunity to take that tray up to her room. You wanted to be alone with my cousin, admit it."

Remus took a deep breath, summoning up all his willpower. "Padfoot, you are being ridiculous. Tonks was feeling ill, so I was concerned about her, that's all. She's my friend."

Sirius gave a loud laugh, almost choking on his butterbeer. "Friend! That's a good one!"

Remus shook his head and rolled his eyes, taking the bottle from Sirius' hands. "I think you've had too much to drink," he said lightly, "Or you're just so bored, that you spend all your time thinking up such nonsense."

"For Merlin's sake, Remus, drop the sensible act," said Sirius, now exasperated. "Do you think that after all these years of knowing you, I can't tell when you fancy someone? So when are you going to make your move?"

"I can't!" Remus exclaimed in shock, momentarily forgetting that he was pretending not to like Tonks. "I'm a werewolf, in case you haven't noticed!"

"So what?" asked Sirius with an impish grin.

"What do you mean 'so what'?" Remus had completely lost his cool. "Werewolves are dangerous creatures, which I thought you'd remember, after seeing me transform all these times at Hogwarts! And on top of all that, I'm almost twice her age, and I haven't got a Knut to my name. No woman in her right mind would want to be with me."

Sirius let out a heavy sigh and clapped Remus on the shoulder. "Moony, I didn't think you were this stupid. I've seen the way Tonks looks at you, how clumsy she is when she's around you…and besides, your age and your lycanthropy and all that, that's just superficial stuff. Hasn't it ever occurred to you that she can like you for your personality?"

The two friends sat silently for a moment as Remus mused over Sirius' words. He remembered Tonks blushing when he brought the tray up to her room, the way she always dropped something or tripped over air the moment he would walk into a room. Could it actually be…?

"Well…I always thought there were so many disadvantages to being with me…I never considered…" Remus stammered, trying his hardest to hold in the excitement he felt.

"OK, well, you just think about what Uncle Padfoot told you, all right?" Sirius got up from the table and stretched. "Now I have to go give Buckbeak his supper, so I'll leave you to plan out your strategy." He laughed and went over to the corner to get the bag of rats for Buckbeak. "Go get her, Moony," he whispered, before heading out of the kitchen, leaving Remus alone with his thoughts.


	4. Chapter 4

So sorry, guys! It's taken me forever to update, but I know how frustrating it is for me when I'm reading a fanfic I really like, and it never gets finished. So this may be the final chapter. It's really fluffy and cute (if I do say so myself, lol). I might include another chapter where Remus catches Tonks' cold and feels sick during the date. I know a lot of you would like that, so I'll do my best. In the meantime, enjoy and review!

"_Ngkt! Ha-mmp!_" Tonks made her way to the Grimmauld Place kitchen, stifling two sneezes into the back of her hand. It was one in the morning, and she had woken up stuffy and congested, with her sinuses feeling like they were bursting. Deciding that a cup of tea might help, she slipped on her robe and went downstairs, trying to be quiet. The last thing she wanted was to wake everyone up.

"_Hakshoo!_" The sneeze came on so suddenly, that Tonks had no time to cover or stifle. The light in the kitchen was on and Remus was sitting at the table, drinking a cup of tea.

"Nymphadora…I thought you were asleep," he said, looking up at her.

"I was," Tonks replied, sniffling. "But I woke up a few minutes ago and couldn't breathe." She reached for a tissue from the box on the table and blew her nose.

"I'll make you some tea," Remus said sympathetically. "Would you like some?"

"Please, that would be great," Tonks said and sat down at the table.

"So, what are you doing up at this hour?" she asked a few minutes later, taking a sip from her cup of tea with honey.

Remus turned away, suddenly looking tense. "I…uh…couldn't sleep. Happens all the time."

"Something on your mind, Remus?" Tonks asked slyly. Perhaps it was evil of her, but she kind of liked to watch the normally calm and collected Remus squirm.

"No, no, absolutely not!" said Remus, forcing a laugh. "I mean, yes, but there's always something on a person's mind, isn't it? Just nothing interesting, a whole lot of boring stuff," he added, with a casual wave of the hand.

Tonks couldn't hold it anymore, and burst into giggles. However, that proved to be unwise, as she was reminded again that she was sick by a loud coughing fit.

"You all right?" Remus asked, and when Tonks nodded, he said, "That's what you get for laughing at me."

"Oh, shut up!" Tonks leaned over and gave him a playful punch on the arm. A moment later, however, the expression on her face changed, as she felt yet another sneeze coming. "Remus?" she said frantically. "Can you…heh…?"

Remus quickly pulled a tissue out of the box and handed it to Tonks. The Auror clamped it around her nose and mouth and sneezed into it, snapping forward.

"_Kshew! Ha-ksssh! Heh, heh, hatshew!"_

"Bless you, Nymphadora! Er, I mean, Tonks," Remus added after a death glare from the young woman.

"Thank you," said Tonks with a smirk. "God, I feel bloody awful," she groaned, blowing her nose for what felt like the millionth time.

Remus reached over and patted her on the shoulder. "I'm sorry, I wish I had some Pepper-Up to give you."

"Nah, I'll be fine," said Tonks with a slight smile. "If Muggles can get through a cold, so can I."

Remus grinned. "I'll never underestimate another Muggle again."

Tonks laughed, and took another sip of her tea. Noticing Remus' stare on her, she put her cup down and looked at him.

"Go ahead," she said. "You look like you want to say something."

Remus suddenly tensed up again. "Sorry, it's nothing. I just…forget it."

"If you tell me, I'll buy you a bar of Honeydukes chocolate," Tonks grinned.

Remus laughed. "You're way too nosy, you know that? But I'll tell you, mainly because I never turn down free chocolate."

"OK, OK, go ahead!" Tonks said again, laughing.

Remus looked her in the eye, all traces of laughter gone now. "Uh, Nympha—I mean, Tonks…I wanted to ask you if you'd like to have dinner with me sometime. When you're better, I mean," he added quickly.

Tonks' eyes widened, and she almost fell out of her chair in surprise. It wasn't like she was shocked at being asked out. She was actually asked on dates pretty frequently, being a good-looking, vivacious woman. But she never expected it to happen when her nose was red and dripped like a faucet, her hair was matted, and her voice was raw and congested.

"It's all right if you don't want to," Remus said, seeing her hesitation. "I mean, if you don't feel comfortable, we can just be friends—"

"No, no, I'd love to have dinner with you!" Tonks said with a laugh. "I was just taken aback because I've never been asked out when I looked like crap."

"I think you look great. Especially your drippy nose," Remus teased, handing her another tissue.

Tonks swatted at him with her free hand, while wiping at her nose, which had already gotten irritated from all the rubbing and blowing she was doing. Remus seemed to notice that because he reached into his pocket and produced a cloth handkerchief.

"Here you go," he said. "It should be easier on your nose than those tissues."

"Thanks, Remus," Tonks said, incredibly touched. The cloth was very soft and actually felt soothing as she sneezed into it.

"_Haptshoo! Heh-tshuh!_"

"Bless you," Remus said softly.

"Th-thanks," Tonks replied, with a huge yawn.

"You should probably get some rest now. It's almost two, you're exhausted."

Tonks melted inside at Remus' caretaking, and she grinned at him. "OK, good night, Remus," she said. "And thanks for everything."

"Don't mention it," said Remus. "Feel better, all right?"

Tonks nodded and headed upstairs to bed, feeling sleepier with every step she took. As she climbed into bed, she realized that a bar of chocolate was more than a fair price to pay for a date with Remus.


	5. Chapter 5

Remus Lupin stood in his bedroom at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, filled with a nervous excitement. He was going out with Tonks for the first time that night and tried to look his best, even though he didn't have too many good clothes. Slipping on a blue button-down shirt, which Tonks once said brought out the color of his eyes, he heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," he called.

It was Sirius, and he was grinning like he had just won the lottery.

"So it's the big night, eh, Moony?" he said, giving Remus a friendly punch on the shoulder. "It seems like just yesterday you were a timid little boy going into Hogwarts…and now you're going out on a date! They grow up so fast!" And he pretended to wipe away his tears.

"Quit it, Padfoot," said Remus, rolling his eyes. "I've had enough of your teasing, just leave me alone."

"Aww, is Moony nervous? Does he need a hug?"

Remus threw a pillow at Sirius. "Please, Sirius, just shut up!" he snapped. He's been on edge the whole day, and Sirius' teasing was annoying him more than ever now. He also felt tired—more so than usual—and his head throbbed from all the excitement. Or maybe from the full moon that was out just the other night.

Sirius looked taken aback. "OK, OK, don't get your panties in a bunch. Are you sure you feel up to this, Moony? You look really peaky."

"It's the full moon, I'll be fine." Remus turned back to his closet and selected a black jumper for the chilly, rainy night. The closet was very dusty and Remus' nose twitched as the dust floated up into his nostrils. Turning his head, he sneezed loudly into his sleeve: "_Hetshumph!_"

"Bless you, mate!" said Sirius, raising his eyebrows in surprise. "Not getting sick, are you?" he added, too familiar with his friend's tendency to get sick after the full moon.

"I'm fine," Remus said hoarsely, with a slight sniffle. "It's all the dust in here."

"Yeah, this house is still a bloody mess. I have to get Kreacher on it."

"Do it now, before Hermione gets back from Diagon Alley," Remus grinned.

"All right, good luck tonight, Moony. Behave yourself, and try to keep your paws off my cousin."

Remus laughed. "Look who's talking, Professor Mellins fan boy!" Professor Mellins was their young and pretty Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, who taught during their fifth year. Sirius once handed in a love poem to her by mistake instead of their homework assignment. Which wouldn't have been so bad if the poem hadn't mentioned her "azure orbs of light" and "silken sheath of raven hair", and, worst of all, her "firm breasts, like two blood-red apples." The Marauders couldn't stop laughing at him for months.

"Hey!" said Sirius in mock offense. "For your information, the woman was very flattered. I wonder if she's still single…"

"I doubt that men on the run from Azkaban are her type," Remus teased.

They both laughed, and Sirius wished Remus luck once again before heading out the door.


	6. Chapter 6

As Remus Apparated to the Italian restaurant where he was meeting Tonks for dinner, he realized that Sirius was right: he was probably coming down with a cold. His throat was scratchy and he felt cold despite his jumper and the relatively warm evening. "Just bloody wonderful," he thought. "I couldn't get sick during some boring weekend at home when Tonks wasn't around." His immune system always had the worst timing—final exams, holidays, Hogsmeade weekends—but this was the worst timing of all. He hoped that—

"_Herrrsh! Kishoo!_"

The sneezes came on so suddenly, he barely had time to cup his hands over his nose and mouth. They were quite wet and very strong—much stronger than his regular sneezes. They also left a lingering tickle at the back of his nose, which he tried to rub away, but it wouldn't fade. Remus took a handkerchief out of his pocket and blew his nose, trying to clear the congestion, although he knew it was futile. He put the handkerchief away and just then, he saw Tonks walking up to him. She looked really pretty in a red V-neck cardigan, dark jeans, and high-heeled sandals, which Remus knew was quite a sacrifice on her part. Her hair was in a tomato-red bob and her dark eyes twinkled with excitement.

"Wotcher, Remus!" she said, giving him a quick hug. Remus hugged her back, inhaling her vanilla shampoo, and cursing his timing once again. Why tonight?

"Hi, Tonks," Remus said with a smile. "You look great."

"Thanks," Tonks beamed. "Ready to go?"

"Sure."

A young waitress with short blonde hair seated them at a small booth, handing them menus.

"I'm so glad it's finally tonight," Tonks said with a grin, as the waitress left. "This day's been dragging on forever, and Scrimgeour was getting on my nerves with his stupid—" She broke off as she heard Remus cough hoarsely, and studied him with concern. Remus was very pale, and looked even more tired than usual, and his head was hurting so badly, he had his fingers pressed to his forehead.

"Are you OK, Remus?" she asked softly. "You look bloody awful."

Remus cleared his throat and looked up. "I'm fine, just tired after the full moon." His nose suddenly gave a sharp twinge and rubbed it slightly, trying to keep from sneezing. Tonks wasn't fooled, however, and continued to look at him, but fortunately the waitress arrived at that moment.

"Can I get you two anything to drink?" she asked.

"Just water please," said Tonks. Remus ordered water too, and the waitress left.

"So," said Remus, trying to sound cheerful and get Tonks to forget how ill he looked. "How have you been lately?"

"Pretty good," Tonks answered. "I had dinner with my parents the other night. Haven't had much of a chance to see them lately because of all the business with the Order. My Mum is ridiculous: she thinks my pink hair looks stupid and immature, and started lecturing me about how I shouldn't wear it to work. My parents treat me like I'm still fifteen." She grimaced.

Remus laughed. "Don't forget, you're talking to someone who's almost your parents' age. I'm sure if I had a Metamorphmagus for a daughter, I would—I—heh! heh!" The tickle chose that moment to return, and it had grown so strong by now, that holding back the sneeze was no longer an option. Remus grabbed a napkin from the table, and, turning away from Tonks, pressed it against his nose as he sneezed wetly and desperately.

"_Ha-kesh! Etschoo! Tshoo!_"

He blew his nose and looked up at Tonks nervously. "_Sniff! _Excuse me. I think I'm allergic to something."

"Oh, Remus!" Tonks exclaimed. "I knew you weren't well! You've caught my cold." She looked guilty as she took a sip from her water.

"No, it's nothing," Remus said softly. "I'm OK, just had to sneeze."

"That's not how you normally sneeze," Tonks protested. "You sneeze only once at a time, and they're never that wet."

"You've known me for one month, Tonks," said Remus with a chuckle. "And you're already an expert on how I sneeze?"

"Maybe I am!" Tonks retorted, so loudly that several people turned to stare at them. "And I'm also an expert on how you lie, and I've got to say, you're one of the worst liars I've ever met. So quit that martyr crap and let's go home and get you to bed!"

Remus sighed and coughed into his sleeve. "But the dinner—"he tried.

"Dinner will have to wait, Mr. Lupin. Now come on!" Tonks stood up and stormed out of the restaurant. Remus followed her out into the street to an empty block, where they could Apparate to Grimmauld Place. Remus reluctantly complied to Apparate together with Tonks and within moments, they were home.


	7. Chapter 7

"Hey, Sirius? You home?" Tonks called, as she and Remus passed Mrs. Black's portrait and entered the living room of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place.

"Where else would I be?" Sirius said darkly, coming down the stairs. He looked confused as he glanced from Tonks to Lupin. "You two are back early. What's going on?"

"Congratulations, Padfoot," Remus said wearily. "Twelve years in Azkaban and you still remember what the full moon does to me." And he gave a hoarse cough.

Sirius' eyes widened. "Bloody hell, Moony. I knew you were sick!"

"If you knew," Tonks said in admonishment. "Then why did you let him out of the house?"

"Hey, don't blame me," Sirius said, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender. "This git is the one always denying that there's anything wrong with him. Do you know how much James and I would have to persuade him to visit Madam Pomfrey when he looked like death?"

Tonks shook her head in disbelief. "All right, let's get this 'noble git' to bed. Would you mind making some tea with honey?"

"No problem, Tonks. Have fun in bed," he added with a wink.

Remus held back a laugh as Tonks took out her wand and pointed it at his friend. "One more crack like that, and I'm doing Ginny's Bat-Bogey Hex on you. All right, come on, Remus."

Remus savored the feel of Tonks' arm around his back, as they walked upstairs to his room. He couldn't believe she was willing to take care of him after he ruined what was supposed to be their first date.

"Tonks, you really don't have to do this for me. I'm sorry I—_Hekshoo! Hekshuh!_" He sneezed loudly, turning away from Tonks. "Excuse me. I'm sorry for ruining the night."

"Bless you," Tonks said. "And I thought I told you to quit the noble act. There's nothing to be sorry for, everyone gets sick, you know." She walked over to Remus' bed and handed him his pajamas. "Now change."

Remus laughed. "Yes, Nymphadora."

"You're lucky you're sick, or I'd smack you for using that hideous name," she said, stepping out of the room and shutting the door.

"OK, Tonks. I'm decent now," Remus called after a few moments. Tonks walked in, carrying a steaming cup of tea and a box of tissues. Sitting down on Remus' bed, she held the cup gently as Remus sipped from it, wincing slightly from the piping hot liquid.

"Maybe I should cool this," Tonks mused, tapping the cup with her wand. She put it on the nightstand and gently brushed Remus' hair off his forehead. "So, now that you don't have to pretend anymore…you want to tell me how you're really feeling?"

Remus lay back and sighed. "Bloody miserable," he said, rubbing at his nose with a handkerchief. "My head hurts, my throat is sore, and I constantly feel like I have to sneeze. And I'm tired as hell."

"Aww, Remus," Tonks murmured sympathetically, continuing to stroke his hair. "I feel awful for giving you my cold."

"No, it wasn't your fault. I told you, the full moon kills my immune system."

"Still, let me take care of you. I know I'm clumsy, but I promise not to spill chicken soup on you."

Remus grinned, truly amazed at what a lovely girl Tonks was. He couldn't remember the last time someone took such good care of him. "Thank you, Tonks. You're just…you're incredible."

Tonks blushed, her face turning almost as red as her hair. "Nah, I'm all right," she said with a small laugh. Giving Remus a tentative look, she leaned forward, and for a moment Remus thought they were going to kiss, but his bad luck made itself known once more, as his nose gave another sharp twinge.

"_Heh…hih…heh_!" Remus held his handkerchief at the ready, waiting for the sneeze to come out. The tickle backed off, but just as he was about to put away the handkerchief, it came back and he sneezed wetly: "_Etshoo! Hakishoo! Hetshuhh! _Oh God…excuse me…_Hareshoo!_"

"Bless you!" Tonks exclaimed. "Wow, that cold needs some Pepper-Up right away. I'll get some in Diagon Alley first thing tomorrow."

Remus blew his nose and took a few breaths, recovering from the forceful sneezes. "Pepper-Up would be amazing," he said. "But you had to get through your cold without it, so I feel like it wouldn't be fair to let me off the hook."

Tonks rolled her eyes and laughed. "Listen, I think the fact that you turn into a wolf every month more than makes up for this!"

"Fair enough," Remus said with a grin. He drank some more tea and yawned.

"OK, Remus. I reckon I should let you get some rest now," Tonks said, getting up from the bed. "Try to sleep, all right? I know it's kind of hard with a cold, but try."

Remus smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Healer Tonks."

"My pleasure," Tonks replied, blushing again. She seemed to hesitate, but then leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "Don't worry," she added. "We _will _manage to have a proper date. Eventually."

She left the room, turning off the lights, which was lucky for Remus because the darkness hid his enormous grin. Turning on his side, he fell asleep, thinking that maybe this time, the timing was on his side after all.

*The End*


End file.
